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Im going for good, OLeary tells Ryanair

MICHAEL O'LEARY, one of Europe's best-known business figures and the man who brought low-cost travel to millions of travellers, has set 2008 as his own departure date from the company that has revolutionised the airline industry. It had been widely expected that O'Leary would "move upstairs" to take the role of non-executive chairman following his eventual retirement, but he has ruled this out. "I think it is one of the worst things you can do; you have to get out, otherwise you will be like Banquo's ghost, hanging around the corridors," he said. "You don't need a doddery old bastard around the place." His decision to sever his links with the business will cause shockwaves in financial circles. Some investors may worry that without O'Leary at the helm the airline will become just another carrier, but he disagrees with that assessment. "The best companies that have survived over the long